Method and system for integrated stacking for handling channel stacking or band stacking

ABSTRACT

A satellite reception assembly may comprise a housing configured to support receipt and handling of a plurality of satellite signals. The housing may comprise circuitry incorporating integrated stacking architecture for supporting and/or providing channel and/or band stacking whereby particular channels or bands, from multiple satellite signals that are received via the satellite reception assembly, may be combined onto a single output signal that may be communicated from the satellite reception assembly to a gateway device for concurrent distribution thereby to a plurality of client devices serviced by the gateway device.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application makes reference to, claims priority to andclaims benefit from the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/596,291, filed on Feb. 8, 2012, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/620,746, filed on Apr. 5, 2012.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present application relate to communications. Morespecifically, certain implementations of the present disclosure relateto integrated stacking for handling channel stacking or band stacking.

BACKGROUND

Existing methods and systems for receiving various wireless signals canbe cumbersome and inefficient. Further limitations and disadvantages ofconventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one ofskill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with someaspects of the present method and apparatus set forth in the remainderof this disclosure with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A system and/or method is provided for integrated stacking for handlingchannel stacking or band stacking, substantially as shown in and/ordescribed in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forthmore completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentdisclosure, as well as details of illustrated implementation(s) thereof,will be more fully understood from the following description anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network comprising satellite televisioncomponents.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example housing component of a satellitetelevision receiver assembly that may support integrated stacking.

FIG. 3 illustrates example stacking scheme implemented by a systemconfigured to support integrated stacking.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example analog band stacking architecture for usein a system that supports integrated stacking.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example digital band stacking architecture foruse in a system that supports integrated stacking.

FIG. 5B illustrates an example simplified digital band stackingarchitecture for use in a system that supports integrated stacking usingfull-band capture.

FIG. 6 illustrates example stacking with equalization for use in asystem that supports integrated stacking.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart that illustrates example handling of plurality ofsatellite signals using integrated stacking.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As usedherein, for example, a particular processor and memory may comprise afirst “circuit” when executing a first plurality of lines of code andmay comprise a second “circuit” when executing a second plurality oflines of code. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of theitems in the list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” meansany element of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As anotherexample, “x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set{(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein,the terms “block” and “module” refer to functions than can be performedby one or more circuits. As utilized herein, the term “exemplary” meansserving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. Asutilized herein, the terms “for example” and “e.g.,” introduce a list ofone or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. Asutilized herein, circuitry is “operable” to perform a function wheneverthe circuitry comprises the necessary hardware and code (if any isnecessary) to perform the function, regardless of whether performance ofthe function is disabled, or not enabled, by some user-configurablesetting.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network comprising satellite televisioncomponents. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an in-premises network100, a satellite reception assembly 106, a plurality of satellites 130,and a network link 108 for connecting the satellite reception assembly106 and the in-premises network 100.

The in-premises network 100 may be setup and/or configured to serviceparticular premises 101 (e.g., residential or commercial). In thisregard, the in-premises network 100 may facilitate providing broadbandand/or television (or other similar content broadcast) access in thepremises 101. The in-premises network 100 may comprise, for example, agateway 102 and a plurality of client devices, of which televisions 104₁-104 ₃ are shown.

The plurality of satellites 130 may be utilized to transmit (beam down)satellite signals 140. In this regard, the satellite signals 140 may beutilized to broadcast satellite television content. The satellitesignals 140 may comprise, for example, K, Ka, and/or Ku band DirectBroadcast Satellite (DBS) signals. The disclosure, however, is notlimited to any particular type of satellite signals.

The satellite reception assembly 106 may be a satellite “dish”. In thisregard, the satellite reception assembly 106 may comprise circuitryoperable to receive satellite signals (e.g., the satellite signals 140),and to process the received satellite signals, such as to recover datacarried in the satellite signals (e.g., television channels, mediacontent, etc.), and configure a suitable output corresponding to therecovered data for transmission to other devices that may handle useand/or distribution of the data (e.g., to the gateway 102 via thecommunication link 108). The satellite reception assembly 106 maycomprise a housing 120. In this regard, the housing 120 may be, forexample, part of the satellite reception assembly 106 (e.g., it may bemounted on a boom at or near the focal point of a parabolic reflector),and may comprise circuitry for capturing and handling satellite signals.

The communication link 108 may comprise one or more wired, wireless,and/or optical links. The communication link 108 may comprise, forexample, a wired (e.g., coaxial and/or twisted-pair) and/or wirelesscommunication medium which carries physical layer symbols in accordancewith, for example, Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA), Ethernet,and/or DBS standards. In some instances, the gateway 102 may beconfigured to terminate other communication links (not shown), which maycomprise, for example, a coaxial or twisted-pair cable and/or an opticalfiber which carries physical layer symbols in accordance with, forexample, DSL, DOCSIS, or Ethernet standards (e.g., to facilitate cabletelevision, terrestrial television, and/or Internet accessibility).

The gateway 102 may comprise circuitry operable to receive the signalscommunicated over a plurality of links (e.g., the link 108), process thesignals as necessary for outputting information contained therein via aplurality of internal links 103 within the in-promises network 100. Inthe regard, the plurality of internal links 103 may comprise wired,wireless, and/or optical links that may be suited for use in anenvironment such as the in-promises network 100. For example, theinternal links 103 may comprise wired connections (e.g., HDMIconnections, Display Port links, MoCA links, or Ethernet connection),and/or wireless connections (e.g., Wi-Fi, ZigBee, wireless USB, or thelike). The gateway 102 may also comprise circuitry operable to transmitsignals via the link 108 and/or any other external links (i.e., linksconnecting the gateway 102 to external entities, such as broadcast orservice head-ends). Accordingly, the term “gateway” in this disclosurerefers to a client device which may perform satellite set-top boxfunctions, cable television receiver functions, terrestrial televisionreceiver functions, WAN/LAN modem functions, etc. In this regard,“satellite set-top box” functions may comprise functions necessary fordelivering data from the satellite reception assembly 106 to deviceswithin the premises.

The gateway 102 may be configured to service a plurality of clientdevices, which may comprise devices that may communicate with thegateway 102 via one or more point-to-point media links (e.g., HDMI,Display Port, analog video links, analog video links, or the like). Anexample of such client devices is televisions (e.g., televisions 104₁-104 ₃) and similar devices that may be used in displaying or playingback multimedia content that may be broadcasted (e.g., via terrestrialsignals, satellite signal, cable signal, and/or over the Internet).

In operation, the in-promises network 100 may be setup and/or used toprovide various services (e.g., broadband and/or television access)within the promises 101. For example, the in-premises network 100 maycomprise an Internet Protocol (IP) based network that interconnectsvarious devices, the gateway 102 and the client devices, within aphysical space (e.g., the premises 101) to each other and/or to accessnetworks for various IP-based services such as IP-based TV (IPTV)services. In this regard, IPTV service may be applications in multicastnetworks that may provide delivery of broadcast TV and other media-richservices over secure, end-to-end operator managed broadband IP datanetworks. The IPTV services leverage the benefits provided by IPmulticast to provide scalability for the increasing number of viewersand TV channels. In IPTV services, each channel may be carried by onemulticast group. Thus, when a user wants to obtain particular content(e.g., watch a program on a certain channel), the user may need to beadded to a multicast group corresponding to the certain channel. Whenthe user changes channels for a new channel, the user may be added to anew multicast group corresponding to the new channel and deleted fromthe previous multicast group to which they were added. A two-wayinteractive capability in the IPTV services may enable the user tocontrol what content to watch and when to watch such content. The usermay join a multicast group and may leave the multicast groupdynamically. The IPTV service enables more content variety with aplurality of channels. This makes it possible to provide a very diverserange of content so as to serve the demands and interests of massmarkets, specialized groups and/or demographic communities.

The gateway 102 may be utilized to service the in-premises network 100,such as by providing broadband and/or television (or other mediacontent) access to a plurality of client devices (e.g., the televisions104 ₁-104 ₃) within the in-premises network 100. In this regard, thegateway 102 may receive signals carrying content that may be forwardedto the client devices for use thereby. For example, the content used(e.g., displayed/played) by the televisions 104 ₁-104 ₃ may be based onsatellite television broadcasts. In this regard, the satellite receptionassembly 106 may be configured to receive the satellite signals 140, andto process the signals such that the signal (or corresponding signals)may be fed into the gateway 102 (via the link 108) for use within thein-premises network 100 (e.g., being forwarded to the televisions 104₁-104 ₃ via corresponding local links 103 ₁-103 ₃). In someinstances—e.g., when the televisions 104 ₁-104 ₃ may correspond to aplurality of televisions used in different locations (e.g., rooms) in asingle dwelling or different units (e.g., apartments) in multi-unitbuilding—it may be desirable to use the televisions 104 ₁-104 ₃ forconcurrently viewing different contents. Therefore, it may be desirableto optimize operations of the satellite reception assembly 106 and thegateway 102 (and connectivity therebetween) to allow increasingserviceability at the lowest cost possible. In this regard, satellite(e.g., DBS) operators continuously strive to improve their AverageRevenue Per User (ARPU) by making content available in additionalviewing locations in the home.

Accordingly, the satellite reception assembly 106 may be configured toconcurrently receive a plurality of satellite signal beams (i.e.,belonging to different broadcasts). In this regard, the plurality ofsatellite signal beams may comprise signals transmitted by differentsatellites and/or signals transmitted by the same satellite withdifferent polarization. Similarly, the gateway 102 may be configured toconcurrently handle multiple feeds, which may correspond to differentusers. While this may be achieved by using multiple links (similar tolink 108), such approach may not be desirable or (at times) feasible.Instead, in various example implementations, accommodating concurrentservicing (viewing) based on different satellite feeds may be achievedby use of channel stacking and band stacking technologies that may beutilized to increase the number of viewing places in the home, whilesimultaneously minimizing installation and service costs. For example,channel stacking may be implemented by taking multiple channels fromdifferent frequency bands and stacking or combining them together fortransmission over the same physical medium (e.g., the link 108).Similarly, band stacking may be implemented by taking a plurality offrequency bands (or sub-bands) and stacking or combining them togetherfor transmission.

Accordingly, use of channel stacking and/or band stacking may allowservicing multiple users via single receiver with minimal change inexisting connectivity or installation. For example, in an exampleimplementation, the satellite reception assembly 106 (and gateway 102)may be configured to support and/or utilize integrated stacking forhandling channel stacking and/or band stacking, such as to allowservicing multiple users using only single link (the link 108) betweenthe two components. Schemes for channel and/or band stacking, andarchitectures for and uses of integrated stacking based thereon, aredescribed in more details in the following figures. It is alsounderstood, that while the implementation described therein are withrespect to satellite feeds, the disclosure need not be so limited.Accordingly, it may be possible use similar schemes, architectures,and/or uses with other feeds in substantially similar manner.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example housing component of a satellitetelevision receiver assembly that may support integrated stacking.Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown the housing 120 of the satellitereception assembly 106 of FIG. 1.

The housing 120 may be configured to support integrated stacking, forenabling channel and/or band stacking, to facilitate servicing multipleusers based on multiple feeds. In this regard, the housing 102 maycomprise a plurality of low noise block downconverters (LNBs) 202 ₁-202_(N), a combiner 204, and a link driver 206.

Each of the LNBs 202 ₁-202 _(N) may comprise circuitry operable toreceive and handle RF satellite signals, which may be captured via areflector of a satellite reception assembly. In this regard, each LNB202 may be configured to perform such functions as low-noiseamplification, filtering, and downconverting on a particular received RF(satellite) signals, to enable generating corresponding IF signals. Inthis regard, the IF signals may be in the L-band, half-L-band (950-1450MHz), extended-L-band (250-2150 MHz, 300-2350 MHz), and the like. Thedisclosure, however, is not so limited, and the IF signals may span anysuitable frequency range. Having N LNBs in the housing 120, asillustrated in FIG. 2, may allow receiving N (an integer number)satellite (RF) signals, labeled RF₁ to RF_(N). In this regard, eachRF_(i) signal may correspond to a unique/distinct satellite signal, withthe signals differing, for example, based on the source or thepolarization (e.g., RF₁ may correspond to a first polarization of afirst satellite, RF₂ may correspond to second polarization of the firstsatellite, RF₃ may correspond to a first polarization of a secondsatellite, and so on).

The combiner 204 may be configured to process and combine input signalscorresponding to the received RF signals (RF₁ to RF_(N))—i.e., outputsof the LNBs 202 ₁-202 _(N). For example, the combiner 204 may beoperable to amplify, downconvert, filter, and/or digitize at least aportion of the input signals. The combiner 204 may be configured tosupport full-spectrum—i.e., to capture an entire spectrum of each of oneor more protocols of interest may be concurrently digitized, or to onlydigitize a portion of the input signals, such as depending on whichchannels (or sub-bands) in the signals are selected by client devices(e.g., which television channels are being consumed by the clientdevices). Once the processing of the input signals (or portions thereof)is complete, the combiner 204 may be operable to recover informationcarried in the signals (e.g., one or more channels contained therein),and may generate output signals carrying the recovered information. Theoutput signals may be sent to the link driver 208, for transmissionthereby (e.g., to the gateway). In some instances, the output signalsmay be processed in the combiner before being forwarded to the linkdriver 208. For example, the combiner 204 may be operable to convert toanalog, upconvert, filter, and/or amplify the output signals.

The link driver 206 may be operable to process signals generated via thecombiner 204 (e.g., comprising recovered information) and generatesignals that may be transmitted onto a link to a corresponding link-peerdevice, such as a gateway/STB (e.g., link 108 to gateway 102 of FIG. 1)in a format supported by the link-peer device. For example, the linkdriver 206 may be operable to packetize and transmit data received viasignals RF₁-RF_(N), in accordance with one or more networking standards(e.g., Ethernet, Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA), DOCSIS, and thelike) to a link-peer device that receives satellite data using suchstandards. Additionally, or alternatively, the link driver 206 may beoperable to perform operations (e.g., digital to analog conversion,modulation, frequency conversion, etc.) for outputting the dataaccording to one or more multimedia standards (e.g., ATSC, DVB-S,ISDB-S, and the like) to enable receiving satellite data by devicesusing such standards. The output of the link driver 206 may comprise aplurality of IF signals, in a particular range to which the link-peerdevice (gateway/STB) may tune. For example, each of the IF signals maybe in the L-band (950 MHz to 2150 MHz).

In various example implementations, the housing 120 may be configured tohandle and/or support channel stacking and/or band stacking. Forexample, the LNBs 202 ₁-202 _(N), a combiner 204, and/or a link driver206 may be implemented using integrated stacking based architectures. Inthis regard, integrated stacking based architectures may comprise, forexample, analog stacking architectures or digital stackingarchitectures. For example, in an example implementation, an analogstacking circuit may be used, and may comprise integrated filters forexample. The filters may be configured to filter through particularportions (e.g., corresponding to particular channels or sub-bands). Theanalog stacking circuit may provide analog capture utilizing an analogmultiple input and multiple output crossbar (Xbar). In this regard, theXbar may be configured such that one or more inputs (comprisingparticular channels or sub-bands) may be combined and mapped to one ormore outputs. In another example implementation, a digital stackingcircuit may be used, to provide digital capture using full bandstacking. The digital stacking circuit may be operable to providedigital capture utilizing a digital multiple input and multiple outputdigital crossbar. Furthermore, to allow for the digitization, thedigital stacking circuit may be configured to provide analog-to-digitalconversion (and, if needed, digital-to-analog conversion, such as whenthe system output need be analog). Example implementations for theanalog stacking circuit and the digital stacking circuit are provided inFIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 3 illustrates example stacking scheme implemented by a systemconfigured to support integrated stacking. Referring to FIG. 3, there isshown a scheme 300 for stacking channels or bands from differentsatellite beams. In this regard, use of the scheme 300 may allowcombining content from multiple satellite signals onto a single physicalchannel for conveyance to a gateway/set-top box (STB), such as thegateway 102 of FIG. 1 for example.

In the example implementation shown in FIG. 3, channels (or bands) fromtwo satellite signals 310 and 320 may be stacked onto a singleintermediate frequency (IF) signal. In this regard, initially each ofthe received satellite signals 310 and 320 may be processed viacorresponding low noise block downconverters (LNBs) 330 ₁ and 330 ₂.Each of the LNBs 330 ₁ and 330 ₂ may correspond to one of the LNBs 202₁-202 _(N) of FIG. 2. The outputs of the LNBs 330 ₁ and 330 ₂ may thenbe input to a stacking switch 340. In this regard, the stacking switch340 may be configured to combine the contents of the satellite signals310 and 320, such as by stacking channels or bands within these signalsonto a single signal. The stacking switch 340 may correspond to, forexample, the combiner 204 (and, in some instances, at least a portion ofthe link driver 206) of FIG. 2. For example, stacking switch 340 mayfrequency division multiplex at least a portion of the receivedsatellite signals beams 310 and 320 onto a common frequency band 350which is conveyed to a gateway/STB (e.g., the gateway 102 of thein-promises network 100) via one or more physical channels (e.g., one ormore coaxial cables). In this regard, the common frequency band 350 maycorrespond to (or be part of) the tuning range of the gateway/STB—e.g.,the common frequency band may encompass the L-band.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the stacking switch 340 may be operableto stack portions 312 ₁-312 ₃ of the 1st satellite signal 310 andportions 322 ₁-322 ₄ of the 2nd satellite signal 320. In this regard,portions 312 ₁-312 ₃ and 322 ₁-322 ₄ may correspond to individualchannels or bands (sub-bands) in the satellite signals 310 and 320.Accordingly, since the gateway/STB is operable to tune to the band 350,the gateway/STB may be enabled to concurrently receive satellite contentcarried in the portions 312 ₁-312 ₃ of the 1st satellite signal 310 andin portions 322 ₁-322 ₄ of the 2nd satellite signal 320. The satellitesignals 310 and 320 may comprise, for example, signals from satellitetransponders transmitting content (e.g., television channels) that havebeen selected for consumption by the gateway/STB. The selected portions312 ₁-312 ₃ and 322 ₁-322 ₄ may comprise, for example, most populartelevision channels, television channels that have been selected forconsumption by the gateway/STB and/or signals which have sufficient SNRfor reliable reception.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example analog band stacking architecture for usein a system that supports integrated stacking. Referring to FIG. 4,there is shown a system 400, which may correspond to an analog bandstack architecture that may support integrated stacking. In this regard,the system 400 may be utilized to provide integrated stacking when theremay be no need for digitization.

The system 400 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, code, and/orinterfaces for performing and/or supporting analog based integratedstacking, to provide channel stacking and/or band stacking, such asduring reception and/or processing of a plurality of input RF signals.The input RF signals may correspond to different satellite signals(i.e., originating from different sources and/or having differentpolarizations). The system 400 may be integrated into and/or maycorrespond to at least a portion of the housing 120 (particularly,processing circuitry thereof). In this regard, system 400 may correspondto, for example, the LNBs 202 ₁-202 _(N), a combiner 204, and a linkdriver 206 of FIG. 2. The system 400 may also correspond to onlycombiner 204 and a link driver 206, and the LNBs 202 ₁-202 _(N) may beimplemented with discrete components. As shown in FIG. 4, the system 400may be configured to support reception of 4 different RF signals,RF1-RF4. In this regard, the system 400 may comprise, for example, aplurality of low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) 402 ₁-402 ₄, a plurality ofinput mixers 404 ₁-404 ₈, a plurality of input filters 406 ₁-406 ₈, ananalog front end (AFE) 420, a plurality of output mixers 432 ₁-432 ₆, aplurality of adders 434 ₁-434 ₃, and a link driver 450, which maycomprise a plurality of drivers 450 ₁-450 ₃ (which may comprise, forexample, power amplifiers).

The AFE 420 may be operable to perform various signal processingfunctions, such as I/Q calibration, equalization, channelization, or thelike. In an example implementation, the AFE 420 may also be configuredto function as multiple input/multiple output switching crossbar (Xbar),whereby one or more inputs may be processed, combined and/or mapped toone or more outputs. Each LNA 402 may be operable to amplifying weaksignals, particular signal captured over a wireless interface (e.g.,satellite signals). Each input mixer 404 may be operable to multiply aplurality of signals. For example, a pair of mixers may be used to applyin-phase and quadrature signals (i.e., signals that would allowextraction of in-phase and quadrature components) to each amplifiedinput signal (RF_(i)), such as to allow IQ calibration. The outputmixers 432 ₁-432 ₆ may be substantially similar to input mixers 404₁-404 ₈, and may be used, in similar manner, to apply in-phase andquadrature signals to the outputs of the AFE 420 (to generate thein-phase and quadrature components). Each adder 434 _(i) may be operableto combine (add or subtract) a plurality of signals. For example, eachof the adders 434 ₁-434 ₃ may be used to combine (add or subtract) thein-phase and quadrature components corresponding to an output of the AFE420. The input filters 406 ₁-406 ₈ may be operable to filter signals(e.g., outputs of the mixers 404 ₁-404 ₈), based on one or morecriteria. For example, the input filters 406 ₁-406 ₈ may be configuredas low-pass filters (LPFs)—that is to pass low-frequency signals (belowparticular threshold, or a “cutoff frequency”) and to attenuate signalswith frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency.

In operation, the AFE 420 may be used to provide crossbar (Xbar)switching between multiple inputs and multiple outputs, such as inaccordance with integrating stacking (for channels and/or bandstacking). In this regard, the AFE 420 may have X (an integer number)inputs and Y (an integer number) outputs, and may provide channel and/orband stacking by combining one or more inputs, which may have beenprocessed to comprise particular channels or bands, into one or moreoutputs. The number of inputs, X, may depend on the number of systeminputs (i.e., the number of input RF signals). For example, whenconfigured to extract I/Q components, the number of inputs, X, mayrepresent double the number of different feeds or RF signalssupported—e.g., when there are 4 different RF inputs, X is 8),corresponding to outputs of the input filters (e.g., input filters 406₁-406 ₈). The number of outputs, Y, may depend on the system outputand/or particular characteristics thereof (e.g., total number ofdistinct frequencies or frequency bands that may be in the systemoutput). For example, the number of outputs, Y, may be set to double thenumber of bands in the output (as a whole, or a particular IF signaltherein). Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, Y may be 6. Thus, the AFE 420 may beconfigured to provide particular mapping between the X inputs and the Youtputs, in accordance with an applicable scheme (e.g., an integratedstacking scheme). The AFE 420 may also apply additional signalprocessing functions (e.g., I/Q calibration, equalization,channelization, etc.). These functions, along with the additionaladjustments or signal processing functions (e.g., filtering,amplifications, downconversions, upconversions, etc.), which may beapplied to the inputs and/or outputs of the AFE 420, may be configuredin an adaptive manner. In this regard, the components and/or functionsof the AFE 420 (and/or components used in the overall path that includesthe AFE 420) may be configured to provide the desired channel and/orband stacking, and/or to generate outputs at different frequencies suchthat they can be combined onto one or more physical channels (e.g., acoaxial cable), corresponding to the plurality of link drivers 450 ₁-450₃ for example, to enable conveyance to the gateway/STB for example.

The architecture implemented in system 400 may enable implementinganalog band stacking without full-band capture. In this regard, bandstacking may not necessarily need sharp digital channel selection, andas such the stacking may be performed without the need foranalog-to-digital conversions (and thus, the need for subsequentdigital-to-analog conversions). In other words, the system 400 may beconfigured for low power transmission, being implemented withoutpower-consuming analog-to-digital convertors (ADCs) and/ordigital-to-analog convertors (DACs). The system 400 may be implemented,for example, utilizing a Weaver down-up image-reject architecture. Forexample, the output mixers 432 ₁-432 ₆ may be configured to provideharmonic rejection upconversion, such to avoid aliasing. The selectionof inputs may be accomplished by the crossbar switch (Xbar) of the AFE420. The selection of a lower/upper sideband may be accomplished byupconversion mixer(s). In some instances, the system 400 may beconfigured not to perform digital I/Q calibration. For example, thesystem 400 may be configured to operate at about 50 dB (e.g., comprisingSNR required 11 dB, noise 11 dB, 28 dB D/U). The I/Q accuracy may beenhanced by utilizing double-quadrature. In an example embodiment of theinvention, the sum and difference between the upconverted frequency andthe intermediate frequency (IF), for example of 350 MHz (right afterdownconversion), may be present at the IF output. In this regard, thesystem 400 may be configured not to filter out an unwanted band since itmay be only 200 MHz, for example, away from the wanted band. Theunwanted band may be reduced or removed by sharpening the input filters406 ₁-406 ₈, after downconvert, and/or by adding, for example, 4 morefront-ends and placing an LO at the center of the desired band.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example digital band and/or channel stackingarchitecture for use in a system that supports integrated stacking.Referring to FIG. 5A, there is shown a system 500, which may correspondto a digital band stack architecture that may support integratedstacking.

The system 500 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, code, and/orinterfaces for performing and/or supporting digital based integratedstacking, to provide channel stacking and/or band stacking, such asduring reception and/or processing of a plurality of input RF signals.The input RF signals may correspond to different satellite signals(i.e., originating from different sources and/or having differentpolarizations). The system 500 may be integrated into and/or maycorrespond to at least a portion of the housing 120 (particularly,processing circuitry thereof). In this regard, system 500 may correspondto, for example, the LNBs 202 ₁-202 _(N), a combiner 204, and a linkdriver 206 of FIG. 2. The system 500 may also correspond to onlycombiner 204 and a link driver 206, and the LNBs 202 ₁-202 _(N) may beimplemented with discrete components. As shown in FIG. 5A, the system500 may be configured to support reception of 4 different RF signals,RF1-RF4. In this regard, the system 500 may comprise, for example, aplurality of low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) 502 ₁-502 ₄, a plurality ofinput mixers 504 ₁-504 ₈, a plurality of input filters 506 ₁-506 ₈, aplurality of analog-to-digital convertors (ADCs) 508 ₁-508 ₈, a digitalfront end (DFE) 520, a plurality of digital-to-analog convertors (DACs)538 ₁-538 ₆, a plurality of output filters 536 ₁-536 ₆, a plurality ofoutput mixers 532 ₁-532 ₆, a plurality of adders 534 ₁-534 ₃, and a linkdriver 550, which may comprise a plurality of drivers 550 ₁-550 ₃ (whichmay comprise, for example, power amplifiers).

The DFE 520 may be substantially similar to the AFE 420, and maysimilarly be operable to perform various signal processing functions,such as I/Q calibration, equalization, channelization, or the like. Inan example implementation, the DFE 520 may also be configured to providecrossbar (Xbar) switching function crossbar, whereby one or more inputsof the DFE 520 are mapped to one or more outputs of the DFE 520. TheLNAs 502 ₁-502 ₄, the input mixers 504 ₁-504 ₈, the input filters 506₁-506 ₈, the output mixers 532 ₁-532 ₆, and the adders 534 ₁-534 ₃ maybe substantially to corresponding elements/components in the system 400of FIG. 4, and may substantially operate in similar manner. The outputfilters 536 ₁-536 ₆ may be operable to filter input signals (e.g.,outputs of the DACs 538 ₁-538 ₆) based on one or more criteria. Forexample, the output filters 536 ₁-536 ₆ may be configured as low-passfilters (LPFs). The ADCs 508 ₁-508 ₈ may be operable to performanalog-to-digital conversions (e.g., on outputs of the input mixers 504₁-504 ₈); whereas the DACs 538 ₁-538 ₆ may be operable to performdigital-to-analog conversions (e.g., on outputs of the DFE 520).

In operation, the system 500 may be utilized to provide integratedstacking, substantially as described with respect to system 400 of FIG.4, for example. However, whereas the system 400 may enable implementinganalog band stacking, the system 500 may be utilized to provide digitalbased integrated stacking, which may comprise digital band stacking thatmay be implemented with or without full-band capture. For example, theDFE 520 may be used to provide crossbar (Xbar) switching, between X (aninteger number) inputs and Y (an integer number) outputs, and mayprovide channel and/or band stacking by combining one or more inputs,which may have been processed to comprise particular channels or bands,into one or more outputs. The DFE 520 may also apply additional signalprocessing functions (e.g., I/Q calibration, equalization,channelization, etc.). These functions, along with the additionaladjustments or signal processing functions (e.g., analog-to-digitalconversions, digital-to-analog conversions, filtering, amplifications,downconversions, upconversions, etc.), which may be applied to theinputs and/or outputs of the DFE 520, may be configured in an adaptivemanner. In this regard, the components and/or functions of the DFE 520(and/or components used in the overall path that includes the DFE 520)may be configured to provide the desired channel and/or band stacking,and/or to generate outputs at different frequencies such that they canbe combined onto one or more physical channels (e.g., a coaxial cable),corresponding to the plurality of link drivers 550 ₁-550 ₃ for example,to enable conveyance to the gateway/STB for example.

In an example implementation, the digital band stacking implemented viathe system 500 may be configured to perform signal detection in theanalog domain while performing digital I/Q calibration in the digitaldomain. For example, I/Q accuracy in the digital band stacking may beenhanced by utilizing double-quadrature conversion in the upconversionpath to eliminate I/Q calibration of the upconverter. In an exampleimplementation, digital band stacking provided via the system 500 maysupport various security techniques, such as a one-time password (OTP)to secure the data. In another example implementation, digital bandstacking may support channel filtering in the DFE 520, which may allowimplementing channel stacking.

FIG. 5B illustrates an example simplified digital band stackingarchitecture for use in a system that supports integrated stacking usingfull-band capture. Referring to FIG. 5B, there is shown Referring toFIG. 5A, there is shown a system 560, which may correspond to asimplified band stack architecture for use in supporting integratedstacking using full-band capture.

The system 560 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, code, and/orinterfaces for performing and/or supporting digital based integratedstacking, to provide channel stacking and/or band stacking usingfull-band capture, such as during reception and/or processing of aplurality of input RF signals. In this regard, the system 560 maycorrespond to a simplified version of the system 500, with variouscomponents of the system 500 removed due the configuration for full-bandcapture, with the remaining components (having the same referencenumbers) being implemented and/or configured in substantially similarmanner as described with respect to system 500 of FIG. 5A. Accordingly,the overall operation of the system 560 may be substantially similar tothe system 500, as described with respect to FIG. 5A, with the exceptionon the elimination of operations of any eliminated component(s), and/orany adjustments (e.g., to remaining components) that may be needed toaccount for the removal of the eliminated components (and theirfunctions) and for the use of full-band capture.

For example, since the system 560 is configured to provide integratedstacking based on full-band capturing, various components that areutilized in input paths to the DFE 520 may be eliminated (or disabled),since they may not be necessary when full-band captured is utilized. Inthis regard, input mixers 504 ₁-504 ₈ and the input filters 406 ₁-406 ₈may be eliminated. Also, half of the input ADCs 508 ₁-508 ₈ (e.g., ADCs508 ₅-508 ₈), since with 4 RF inputs (RF1-RF4), only four ADCs neededbecause with the elimination of the mixers and filters, there would beno IQ signals. The remaining 4 ADCs 508 ₁-508 ₄ may then be configuredto full-band capture the entire spectrum corresponding to the respectiveRF signals.

In some instances, various components that are utilized in the outputpaths from the DFE 520 may be eliminated (or disabled), since they maynot be necessary when full-band captured is utilized. For example, theoutput filters 536 ₁-536 ₆, the output mixers 532 ₁-532 ₆, and theadders 534 ₁-534 ₃ may be eliminated. Also, half of the DACs 538 ₁-538₆, (e.g., DACs 538 ₄-538 ₆) may be eliminated, since there would be noIQ signals, and only three DACs (e.g., DACs 538 ₁-538 ₃) would be neededfor the three IF drivers (drivers 550 ₁-550 ₃). In other words,full-band capturing based integrated stacking, may allow eliminatingcomplex mixers schemes at the output side at the expense of the DACsbeing able and configured to handle the entire spectrum. While thefull-band capture based architecture shown in FIG. 5B compriseselimination of mixing (and related filtering and/or adding) at both ofthe input-side and the output-side, the disclosure is not so limited. Inthis regard, some implementations may incorporate less simplification,with a combination of using mixing in front of (i.e. at the input-sideof) the DFE 520 (i.e., resembling the input-side of system 500 of FIG.5A) and full-spectrum DAC at the output, or vice versa.

FIG. 6 illustrates example stacking with equalization for use in asystem that supports integrated stacking. Referring to FIG. 6, there isshown a digital front end (DFE) 620, which may comprise one or moreequalization circuits 640 that may provide equalization (e.g., duringbaseband crossbar switching) between an input path 600 and an outputpath 630.

The DFE 620 may correspond to the DEF 420 or DFE 520 of FIGS. 4 and 5,respectively, for example. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 6, the DEF620 may incorporate an equalization function, by use of equalizationcircuits 640, during integrated stacking (i.e., in the course ofcrossbar switching).

The input path 600 may comprise a low-noise amplifier (LNAs) 602, amixer 604, an input filters 606, and an analog-to-digital convertor(ADC) 608. In this regard, the input path 600 may correspond to, forexample, one of the four input branches (corresponding to RF inputsRF1-RF4) of FIG. 5A. The output path 630 may comprise adigital-to-analog convertor (DAC) 632, an output filter 634, a mixer636, and power amplifier (PA) 638. In this regard, the output path 600may correspond to, for example, one of the three output branches of FIG.5A.

Each equalization circuit 640 may comprise circuitry for channelequalization. For example, the equalization circuit 604 may comprise aFast-Fourier-Transform (FFT) block 642, an equalization block 644, andan inverse Fast-Fourier-Transform (iFFT) block 646. In this regard, theFFT block 642 may be configured to convert time-domain discrete samplesof a signal into their corresponding frequency-domain components. Theequalization block 644 may be configured to equalize (i.e. adjust thebalance between) the frequency components outputted by the FFT block642. The iFFT block 646 may be configured to convert thefrequency-domain components of a signal (after equalization) to itscorresponding time-domain equivalent.

In operation, the equalization circuits 640 may be utilized to performequalization, such as during integrated stacking processing (to providechannel and/or band stacking). In this regard, power may be equalizedduring stacking operations, such as to ensure that power may remainrelatively flat (e.g., over an entire dynamic range). For example, afrequency band may be divided into frequency bins, and a weighting maybe given to the frequencies in each of the frequency bins. The powerequalization may then be provided over the frequency bins. In an exampleimplementation, one or more suitable techniques (e.g., overlap and addtechnique) may be utilized to prevent leakage of power from onefrequency bin into adjacent frequency bins across the entire band. Inother words, equalization of the power may be provided across all thefrequency bins so the power may be relatively flat across all of thefrequency bins. Before the frequency bins are shifted, they may beequalized so that the power is more evenly distributed across all thefrequency bins.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart that illustrates example handling of plurality ofsatellite signals using integrated stacking. Referring to FIG. 7, thereis shown a flow chart 700 comprising a plurality of example steps forreceiving and handling multiple satellite signals (concurrently) usingintegrate stacking solutions.

In step 702, a satellite reception assembly (e.g., satellite assembly106) may receive multiple satellite signals. In step 704, each of thereceived satellite signals may be processed via corresponding inputpath. The processing in each input path may comprise applying low-noiseamplification, mixing (e.g., to separate I/Q components), filtering,and/or analog-to-digital conversion. In step 706, the processed receivedsatellite signals may be input into a stacking switch, which may providecrossbar (Xbar) combining/switching, to enable generation of outputsignals containing portions from one or more the received satellitesignals. In step 708, outputs from a stacking switch may be combinedonto a single output signal (e.g., for transmittal over a single coaxialcable)—e.g., within particular sub-bands, and may be communicated to agateway/STB device. In step 710, the gateway/STB may tune to appropriatesub-band(s) in the signal output signal received from the satellitereception assembly, to recover content from particular satellitesignals, which may be forwarded to corresponding client device(s)—i.e.,allowing concurrent servicing of multiple client devices whereby contentfrom different satellite signals can be provided to different clientdevices at the same time.

Other implementations may provide a non-transitory computer readablemedium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machine readablemedium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machine codeand/or a computer program having at least one code section executable bya machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machine and/or computerto perform the steps as described herein for integrated stacking forhandling channel stacking or band stacking.

Accordingly, the present method and/or system may be realized inhardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Thepresent method and/or system may be realized in a centralized fashion inat least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion wheredifferent elements are spread across several interconnected computersystems. Any kind of computer system or other system adapted forcarrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typicalcombination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computersystem with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed,controls the computer system such that it carries out the methodsdescribed herein.

The present method and/or system may also be embedded in a computerprogram product, which comprises all the features enabling theimplementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded ina computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer programin the present context means any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form.

While the present method and/or apparatus has been described withreference to certain implementations, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents maybe substituted without departing from the scope of the present methodand/or apparatus. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings of the presentdisclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intendedthat the present method and/or apparatus not be limited to theparticular implementations disclosed, but that the present method and/orapparatus will include all implementations falling within the scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a signal processingcircuitry that is configured to process a plurality of input RF signals,the signal processing circuitry comprising: a plurality of input pathsfor the plurality of input RF signals, wherein each input path isconfigured to enable isolating one or more portions from a correspondingone of the plurality of input RF signals; a signal switching componentthat is configured to perform crossbar switching that allows combiningand mapping one or more inputs, corresponding to the plurality of inputpaths, onto a plurality of outputs of the signal switching component,wherein the signal switching component is also configured to apply oneor more signal processing functions comprising at least I/O calibration;a plurality of output paths corresponding to the plurality of outputs ofthe signal switching component, wherein each of the plurality of outputpaths is configured to post-process a corresponding one of the pluralityof outputs of the signal switching component; and a link drivercomponent that is configured to generate a single output signalcorresponding to the plurality of input RF signals, the single outputsignal being configured for communication to a single receiving device,to enable concurrent reception by the single receiving device of contentcorresponding to multiple ones of the plurality of input RF signals. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the isolated one or more portions areextracted for combining and stacking onto a single output signal basedon configuration of one or more of: the plurality of input paths, thesignal switching component, or the plurality of output paths.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the isolated one or more portions comprisechannels or bands in a corresponding input RF signal.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein each input path comprises one or more of each of: alow-noise amplifier (LNA), signal mixer, signal filter, and/or ananalog-to-digital convertor (ADC).
 5. The system of claim 1, whereineach output path comprises one or more of each of: a signal mixer, asignal adder, a signal filter, or a digital-to-analog convertor (DAC).6. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal switching componentcomprises a plurality of equalization circuits that are configured toapply equalization during switching between one or more inputs and oneor more outputs of the signal switching component.
 7. The system ofclaim 6, wherein each one of the plurality of equalization circuitscomprises one or more of each of: a Fast-Fourier-Transform (FFT)component, an equalization component, and an inverseFast-Fourier-Transform (iFFT) component.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein the link driver component is driven, at least in part, byoutputs of one or more of the plurality of output paths.